Chapter CVII

by William Somerset Maugham

　　Mr. Sampson, the buyer, took a fancy to Philip. Mr. Sampson was verydashing, and the girls in his department said they would not be surprisedif he married one of the rich customers. He lived out of town and oftenimpressed the assistants by putting on his evening clothes in the office.Sometimes he would be seen by those on sweeping duty coming in nextmorning still dressed, and they would wink gravely to one another while hewent into his office and changed into a frock coat. On these occasions,having slipped out for a hurried breakfast, he also would wink at Philipas he walked up the stairs on his way back and rub his hands."What a night! What a night!" he said. "My word!"He told Philip that he was the only gentleman there, and he and Philipwere the only fellows who knew what life was. Having said this, he changedhis manner suddenly, called Philip Mr. Carey instead of old boy, assumedthe importance due to his position as buyer, and put Philip back into hisplace of shop-walker.Lynn and Sedley received fashion papers from Paris once a week and adaptedthe costumes illustrated in them to the needs of their customers. Theirclientele was peculiar. The most substantial part consisted of women fromthe smaller manufacturing towns, who were too elegant to have their frocksmade locally and not sufficiently acquainted with London to discover gooddressmakers within their means. Beside these, incongruously, was a largenumber of music-hall artistes. This was a connection that Mr. Sampson hadworked up for himself and took great pride in. They had begun by gettingtheir stage-costumes at Lynn's, and he had induced many of them to gettheir other clothes there as well."As good as Paquin and half the price," he said.He had a persuasive, hail-fellow well-met air with him which appealed tocustomers of this sort, and they said to one another:"What's the good of throwing money away when you can get a coat and skirtat Lynn's that nobody knows don't come from Paris?"Mr. Sampson was very proud of his friendship with the popular favouriteswhose frocks he made, and when he went out to dinner at two o'clock onSunday with Miss Victoria Virgo--"she was wearing that powder blue we madeher and I lay she didn't let on it come from us, I 'ad to tell her meselfthat if I 'adn't designed it with my own 'ands I'd have said it must comefrom Paquin"--at her beautiful house in Tulse Hill, he regaled thedepartment next day with abundant details. Philip had never paid muchattention to women's clothes, but in course of time he began, a littleamused at himself, to take a technical interest in them. He had an eye forcolour which was more highly trained than that of anyone in thedepartment, and he had kept from his student days in Paris some knowledgeof line. Mr. Sampson, an ignorant man conscious of his incompetence, butwith a shrewdness that enabled him to combine other people's suggestions,constantly asked the opinion of the assistants in his department in makingup new designs; and he had the quickness to see that Philip's criticismswere valuable. But he was very jealous, and would never allow that he tookanyone's advice. When he had altered some drawing in accordance withPhilip's suggestion, he always finished up by saying:"Well, it comes round to my own idea in the end."One day, when Philip had been at the shop for five months, Miss AliceAntonia, the well-known serio-comic, came in and asked to see Mr. Sampson.She was a large woman, with flaxen hair, and a boldly painted face, ametallic voice, and the breezy manner of a comedienne accustomed to be onfriendly terms with the gallery boys of provincial music-halls. She had anew song and wished Mr. Sampson to design a costume for her."I want something striking," she said. "I don't want any old thing youknow. I want something different from what anybody else has."Mr. Sampson, bland and familiar, said he was quite certain they could gether the very thing she required. He showed her sketches."I know there's nothing here that would do, but I just want to show youthe kind of thing I would suggest.""Oh no, that's not the sort of thing at all," she said, as she glanced atthem impatiently. "What I want is something that'll just hit 'em in thejaw and make their front teeth rattle.""Yes, I quite understand, Miss Antonia," said the buyer, with a blandsmile, but his eyes grew blank and stupid."I expect I shall 'ave to pop over to Paris for it in the end.""Oh, I think we can give you satisfaction, Miss Antonia. What you can getin Paris you can get here."When she had swept out of the department Mr. Sampson, a little worried,discussed the matter with Mrs. Hodges."She's a caution and no mistake," said Mrs. Hodges."Alice, where art thou?" remarked the buyer, irritably, and thought he hadscored a point against her.His ideas of music-hall costumes had never gone beyond short skirts, aswirl of lace, and glittering sequins; but Miss Antonia had expressedherself on that subject in no uncertain terms."Oh, my aunt!" she said.And the invocation was uttered in such a tone as to indicate a rootedantipathy to anything so commonplace, even if she had not added thatsequins gave her the sick. Mr. Sampson `got out' one or two ideas, butMrs. Hodges told him frankly she did not think they would do. It was shewho gave Philip the suggestion:"Can you draw, Phil? Why don't you try your 'and and see what you can do?"Philip bought a cheap box of water colours, and in the evening while Bell,the noisy lad of sixteen, whistling three notes, busied himself with hisstamps, he made one or two sketches. He remembered some of the costumes hehad seen in Paris, and he adapted one of them, getting his effect from acombination of violent, unusual colours. The result amused him and nextmorning he showed it to Mrs. Hodges. She was somewhat astonished, but tookit at once to the buyer."It's unusual," he said, "there's no denying that."It puzzled him, and at the same time his trained eye saw that it wouldmake up admirably. To save his face he began making suggestions foraltering it, but Mrs. Hodges, with more sense, advised him to show it toMiss Antonia as it was."It's neck or nothing with her, and she may take a fancy to it.""It's a good deal more nothing than neck," said Mr. Sampson, looking atthe decolletage. "He can draw, can't he? Fancy 'im keeping it dark allthis time."When Miss Antonia was announced, the buyer placed the design on the tablein such a position that it must catch her eye the moment she was showninto his office. She pounced on it at once."What's that?" she said. "Why can't I 'ave that?""That's just an idea we got out for you," said Mr. Sampson casually."D'you like it?""Do I like it!" she said. "Give me 'alf a pint with a little drop of ginin it.""Ah, you see, you don't have to go to Paris. You've only got to say whatyou want and there you are."The work was put in hand at once, and Philip felt quite a thrill ofsatisfaction when he saw the costume completed. The buyer and Mrs. Hodgestook all the credit of it; but he did not care, and when he went with themto the Tivoli to see Miss Antonia wear it for the first time he was filledwith elation. In answer to her questions he at last told Mrs. Hodges howhe had learnt to draw--fearing that the people he lived with would thinkhe wanted to put on airs, he had always taken the greatest care to saynothing about his past occupations--and she repeated the information toMr. Sampson. The buyer said nothing to him on the subject, but began totreat him a little more deferentially and presently gave him designs to dofor two of the country customers. They met with satisfaction. Then hebegan to speak to his clients of a "clever young feller, Parisart-student, you know," who worked for him; and soon Philip, ensconcedbehind a screen, in his shirt sleeves, was drawing from morning tillnight. Sometimes he was so busy that he had to dine at three with the`stragglers.' He liked it, because there were few of them and they wereall too tired to talk; the food also was better, for it consisted of whatwas left over from the buyers' table. Philip's rise from shop-walker todesigner of costumes had a great effect on the department. He realisedthat he was an object of envy. Harris, the assistant with the queer-shapedhead, who was the first person he had known at the shop and had attachedhimself to Philip, could not conceal his bitterness."Some people 'ave all the luck," he said. "You'll be a buyer yourself oneof these days, and we shall all be calling you sir."He told Philip that he should demand higher wages, for notwithstanding thedifficult work he was now engaged in, he received no more than the sixshillings a week with which he started. But it was a ticklish matter toask for a rise. The manager had a sardonic way of dealing with suchapplicants."Think you're worth more, do you? How much d'you think you're worth, eh?"The assistant, with his heart in his mouth, would suggest that he thoughthe ought to have another two shillings a week."Oh, very well, if you think you're worth it. You can 'ave it." Then hepaused and sometimes, with a steely eye, added: "And you can 'ave yournotice too."It was no use then to withdraw your request, you had to go. The manager'sidea was that assistants who were dissatisfied did not work properly, andif they were not worth a rise it was better to sack them at once. Theresult was that they never asked for one unless they were prepared toleave. Philip hesitated. He was a little suspicious of the men in his roomwho told him that the buyer could not do without him. They were decentfellows, but their sense of humour was primitive, and it would have seemedfunny to them if they had persuaded Philip to ask for more wages and hewere sacked. He could not forget the mortification he had suffered inlooking for work, he did not wish to expose himself to that again, and heknew there was small chance of his getting elsewhere a post as designer:there were hundreds of people about who could draw as well as he. But hewanted money very badly; his clothes were worn out, and the heavy carpetsrotted his socks and boots; he had almost persuaded himself to take theventuresome step when one morning, passing up from breakfast in thebasement through the passage that led to the manager's office, he saw aqueue of men waiting in answer to an advertisement. There were about ahundred of them, and whichever was engaged would be offered his keep andthe same six shillings a week that Philip had. He saw some of them castenvious glances at him because he had employment. It made him shudder. Hedared not risk it.